TEMPE, Ariz. – As Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride took over Miami Dolphins linebacker David Long Jr. on the first play of the third quarter, McBride showed why he could be considered one of the best tight ends in the league.
And it happened on National Tight Ends Day of all days.
McBride came out of a three-point stance, ran a wheel route to the left before cutting down the field, created – and kept – about three yards of separation on Long, turned around mid-run to catch a back-shoulder pass from Kyler Murray, did a 360-degree turn after the catch, kept his balance during the run, then collided with another Dolphins defender before ultimately being tackled for a gain of 37 yards.
It showcased McBride’s repertoire: getting off the line, running routes, catching passes and playing after the catch.
“It kind of shows a little bit of everything,” McBride told ESPN. “I didn’t plan on running hurdles. It just happened. Ran, I jumped as high as I could and it worked. I wish I hadn’t bumped into the guy on the way out. I wish do it” I wouldn’t have hit him. I probably would have scored.
“But yeah, I think it shows that I can do a lot of things in the passing game, run the game and just try to make plays for this team.”
Trey McBride shows off the hops
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Sunday’s game, in which he finished with nine catches for 124 yards for his first 100-yard game of the season, encapsulated everything McBride has become in his third season: a complete, elite tight end.
“He’s not a one-trick pony,” trainer Jonathan Gannon said.
Through eight weeks, McBride leads the team with 42 receptions for 446 yards. For offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, it’s McBride’s versatility as a receiver and blocker, coupled with his speed, balance and elusiveness, that make him “elite.” For Gannon, it’s how McBride is a three-level receiver and how he plays with the ball in his hands.
“It’s a powerful weapon,” Gannon said.
McBride has risen through the ranks over the past 12 months. He is ranked in the top three among tight ends in targets (second), receptions (second), yards (third), yards per route (third), targets per route (second), share of team goal (first) and first downs received. (third).
“Trey has come a long way. He’s a guy, that’s for sure,” Murray said.
When McBride gets the ball, good things happen.
Of his 42 catches this year, 17 were on plays of 11 yards or more. Each of those catches, plus four others, were on first downs. McBride has posted All-Pro type numbers while being the type of player he champions a game plan for.
“That’s the thing we talk about is, ‘OK, you’re not a secret anymore. People know who you are, you’re on the radar,'” tight ends coach Ben Steele said at ESPN. “And that’s the difference between the average players and the big guys, that the big guys show up every day knowing that you’re going to be double-teamed, you’re going to have extra coverage and you’re going to look different than what you have. maybe didn’t see it before, so he agreed to it.
Being considered among the league’s best tight ends is different for McBride, who said he’s always been an underdog and has had to “work for my stripes and earn those stripes.”
McBride entered the league in 2022 when the Cardinals drafted him in the second round out of Colorado State. Arizona already had tight end Zach Ertz, and McBride didn’t run more than 11 routes in a game through the first nine weeks of his rookie season. Ertz tore his ACL and MCL in Week 10 and McBride assumed his role, finishing the season with 29 receptions for 265 yards.
He was relegated to Ertz’s backup to start the 2023 season, averaging 10 runs per game through the first six weeks of last season. Steele kept the same message to McBride: “Your time will come and be patient.”
Ertz suffered a quad strain in Week 7 last year, giving McBride another chance to start. And he ran with it. He finished the year with 825 receiving yards and three touchdowns, eclipsing 100 yards in two games.
Arizona released Ertz in November and gave McBride the starting job permanently.
“It’s funny, I get drafted, no one knows who I am and all the Cardinal fans hate me because ‘Why did we draft a tight end in the second round?’ And then three years later, they all love me and I’m like the best thing,” McBride said. “It’s just funny how it all works.”
Part of McBride’s entry into the upper echelon of tight ends was an invitation to Tight End University, extended by former NFL tight end Greg Olsen, Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce and the 49ers’ San Francisco TE George Kittle. For a few days in late June, McBride was around his peers, observing and learning how they train, work and operate. He spoke with Kelce about how he runs routes and gets his releases, and got some advice from him on run blocking.
When McBride returned to the Cardinals for training camp, Steele saw an increased confidence.
“Being with those guys is something I loved,” McBride said. “It’s been a lot of fun learning from some of the greats in the game, but it’s also cool to see that these tight ends know who I am. They respect me and admire my game too. So, I think that’s “It’s really cool to have respect from other tight ends in the league.”
This season was the next step in McBride’s progression and ascension.
All of his major stats are up from a year ago. He’s averaging 63.7 yards per game, up from 48.5 last year. His 8.0 yards per target is up from 7.6 and his 7.7 air yards per target is up from 6.0. His wide open percentage – which measures how many times the gap between him and the nearest defender is five yards or more – increased from 18.5% to 25% this year.
McBride is also more comfortable in his role.
He’s no longer a wide-eyed young rookie, said Murray, who described McBride as a “damn savvy veteran.” McBride feels like the game is slowing down for him. Petzing doesn’t see McBride thinking or communicating much on the field, just reacting to what’s happening in front of him.
“It’s a beast,” Murray said. “I can’t say enough about Trey.
“I tell you every week, I think he could be the best in the league. His athleticism, his ability to block, he can do it all. He can do it all. He’s one of our best guys. We have to continue bringing the stone back to him.”
